randomplaces | Flicker's reality. Somewhere on earth. Flickering

"I... think they're trying to say hello." The Decepticon gunner looked at Flicker, his optic blinking with confusion.

"Affirmative. Organic units attempting greeting." Flicker tilted his head, studying the infant canines with distant interest. "Purpose, to gain protection and sustenance."

The gunner whirred quietly, then looked around. "I think they belong to the squishies in that house over there. Making sure they don't get lost would probably make it easier for us to follow orders by staying hidden."

"Assessment correct. Unit Speedbump will return organics to their dwelling."

"Yessir!" The eager young mech carefully scooped the wiggly little dogs up into his hands and then made his guarded way toward the semi-distant farmhouse. Though he moved slowly he was still outside the range of the blast when Ironhide unexpectedly decided to let off a mortar round at Flicker.

The surveillance bot was thrown flying, his senses fritzing with the sheer volume of the blast and his sensor nets screaming in an agony that was only compounded as he landed. Thankfully, the pain didn't last long, because the impact with the sodden spring soil knocked him offline.

He came to to the awareness of small hands busily adjusting his antennae with a touch that was knowledgeable and light as other, still smaller ones carefully recalibrated the circuits connected to one of his optic sensors.

"Easy," said a light voice from behind his head, and he startled slightly to realize that he was being repaired by a femme. "Even though it'd be real hard to make you any uglier, the world'll be a prettier place once we're done with this."

"Humor, unappreciated," he said tonelessly, though the insult was already forgotten as he scanned as best he could to try and find out about the two small strangers.

"That's too bad," said the femme who was working on his antennae. "Because my whole slaggin' life is a joke."

"Suck it up, Spazz," came the even lighter voice of the second bot. "Ah, there. Can you see me now?"

Flicker blinked as he took in the odd construction of the tiny femme, then turned his head slightly as her larger companion finished her work and moved into his visual range. This second femme was of more familiar tech, though her blue optics made him frown.

"Relax," she said, arms crossed over her thin chest, those blue optics serious in her pale green and grey face. "We're 'Con spawn. The Frenzy of my reality made me, and I passed on the love for Mal here. You showed up on my ship a few minutes ago, so we brought you back and kicked you back together."

Flicker sat up, his frown deepening as his sensors informed him that though both femmes had fully developed personality matrixes, neither bore a spark. "Request: define 'other reality'."

"Just what I said," said the larger femme, Spazz, who was about four foot tall. "You took a little trip across space and time. But you're back now. As soon as I drop the cloaking shield your buddy will be able to find you. So will whoever decided to play boomy with you."

"Inquiry: Location of Frenzy of your reality."

"Nooooo clue. I haven't been there for a few years." Spazz shrugged. "Besides, it was a crazy place. Your Frenzy's probably somewhere else."

Then she held up one small hand to forestall further questioning as a very Frenzy-like grin developed on her homely little face. "There's the kid. This is gonna be good."

"Flippancy unappreciated," Flicker started to tell her, only to nearly leap out of his armor plating as she and Mal vanished at the same instant that Speedbump gave a piercing electronic shriek of surprise.

-Like I said,- came the strange little femme's voice in his head as Speedbump babbled with fright and relief. -My life's a joke. Suck it up.-